Seoul Authority Revokes Car Free Road Policy In Sinchon To Relive Local Economy

Sinchon, Seoul, South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Brandon Butler)

JAKARTA - Seoul's first car-free road, Yonsei-ro in the Sinchon area, will again allow private vehicles starting this year to revive the local economy.

The Seoul City Government in December announced it would remove the determination of a "public transportation zone" from Yonsei-ro starting January 1, 2025, after two years of probation.

Yonsei-ro is a 550 meter long road connecting Yonsei University in Seodaemun District with the Sinchon main road.

The city government designated the area as a "public transportation zone" in 2014 under former Mayor Park Won-soon, quoted from The Korea Times January 20.

City authorities only allowed several buses to pass through the area on weekdays to create space that is friendly to pedestrians, aiming to revitalize commercial districts and reduce traffic congestion.

However, shop owners and local residents argue that the free car policy is detrimental to the local economy.

Sinchon's commercial district, in particular, has struggled to recover since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to calls for the policy to be abolished.

The debate began after the Mayor of Seodaemun District Lee Sung-heon was elected in 2022 with the promise to abolish the car-free road policy.

More than 2,000 traders and residents of Yonsei-ro petitioned the district office calling for the removal of the concept of a car-free road.

In response, the city government lifted temporary restrictions and conducted experiments for nine months from January to September 2023.

Data from more than 700 stores in Yonsei-ro showed a 6.3 percent increase in the use of Shinhan Cards between February and April last year, when traffic restrictions were lifted, compared to the same period in 2024.

The district survey found that the average daily sales per store were 23 percent higher during the period when traffic restrictions were lifted.

Meanwhile, the city government set the speed of vehicles unchanged significantly. When restrictions were lifted, the average speed of traffic towards the Sinchon roundabout decreased from 18.8 kilometers per hour (kpj) to 15.8 kph, while the speed towards Yonsei University increased from 9 kpj to 10.9 kph.

Lee Jin-gu, head of Seoul's Metropolitan Transportation Policy Division, said, "It seems that traffic patterns have not changed easily over the past decade."

Due to increased traffic to Yonsei University during peak hours, the city government also plans to increase time to signal a left turn in front of the university during peak hours.

When Yonsei-ro reopened for private vehicles, the number of cars traveling through side roads in Sinchon decreased. In particular, side roads in front of Changseo Elementary School experienced a 10 percent decrease in daily traffic, down from 2,088 to 1,877 vehicles.

Even though the restrictions are lifted, the sidewalk width will still be maintained. The city government has installed auretan-based road fence between the path and the pedestrian guardrail along the sidewalk to improve safety.

The district office said it plans to implement a car-free policy every Sunday and hold concerts on the streets.

Yonsei-ro is one of three car-free roads in South Korea, along with Jungang-ro in Daegu and Dongcheon-ro in Busan.

Daegu Jungang-ro revoked regulations on 450 meter long roads last November, and Busan Dongcheon-ro has suspended the regulation from 2022.